Lay Them To Rest

April 9, 1986

I WAS appalled to read in the Sentinel that a copy of the 1967 Apollo 1 fire tape containing sounds of the anguish of the three astronauts' last moments has been played for some NASA people and that ''hearing it is considered a rite of passage into the agency's circle of insiders. . . .''

Has civilization not progressed at all from the times of the Roman gladiators? If the Apollo action is indicative of the sensitivities, ideals, standards and mentality of NASA officials, it is any wonder that their apparent part in the decision to launch Challenger led to its tragedy?

I can only hope that if the Challenger tape contains any evidence of our astronauts' suffering that, after obtaining any information from it to help avoid such a thing happening again, the officials permanently lay to rest the Challenger and Apollo tapes.